Side of Squatch - Short Film

What's the story?

"Side of Squatch" is a short film dedicated to each and every Bigfoot enthusiast. The story follows Hunter Smalls, an eccentric Sasquatch conspiracy theorist who is almost convinced he may never have the opportunity to meet this legendary creature he has dedicated his entire existence to find. Through the discovery of a mysterious pamphlet, he embarks on a trip that may forever change his life…one where he has the chance to meet his hero. However, unbeknownst to Hunter, this trip makes him one of the many victims of a money making scheme that goes beyond all that is believed to be real. Bigfoot may not be the fictionalized creature Hunter has idolized since a child.

What is the film for?

This short film is intended to be showcased at UC Santa Barbara's Reel Loud Film & Arts Festival in late May 2023. As a part of the festival, it will be an entirely silent short film accompanied by a live musical performance!

Who are we?

We are a group of undergraduate students at UCSB many of whom are in the co-ed cinematic professional fraternity, Delta Kappa Alpha! DKA is made up of 50+ students who are passionate about filmmaking and are committed to creating lifelong friendships with our peers in the organization. Our whole cast and crew is excited to share this story with you all, especially our writers/directors making their directorial debut!

Crew Biographies:

Oliver Richards - Writer + Director

Oliver Richards is a third-year transfer student at UCSB and the co-writer/director for “Side of Squatch”, a story dedicated to all of those who continue to believe in the unknown. This is Oliver’s directorial debut and he is thrilled to work with such a talented, passionate, and enthusiastic crew. He hopes this film will ignite laughter and spread the message of joy through that of Bigfoot. Humor is meant to unite and his goal is to create a film that does just that.

Wells Hodder - Writer + Director

Wells Hodder is currently a first-year at UCSB in the film and media studies major. He is the co-writer/director of this film and is excited to see his first piece of film writing on the screen. He considers making people laugh to be the most important goal in his life, and he hopes this film will accomplish that mission! As well as supporting all those who do truly believe in Bigfoot!

Robyn-Elizabeth Yan - Producer

Robyn-Elizabeth graduated Winter of 23 from UCSB with degrees in Film & Communication Studies. Having worked on various film productions throughout her college career, she is excited to bring her knowledge to this crew & continue to learn more through this experience as a producer. In the near future, she is hoping to pursue a career in sports or television production.

Liz Luna - Co-Producer

Liz is in her fourth year at UCSB and is excited to take on the role of Co-Producer for the first time after 8 productions wearing various hats. She’s excited for this fun and goofy story and to support a crew of young filmmakers like herself.

Sawyer Goldberg - Co-Producer

Sawyer is a first-year film and media studies student at UCSB, who is excited to explore the field of producing. He is ecstatic about working with this talented crew.

Liam Burns - Director of Photography + Cam Op

Liam is the DP and is absolutely thrilled to bring this zany, hilarious project to life.

Dalia Kaldawi - Production Designer

Dalia Kaldawi is a first-year Film and Media Studies and Political Science double major at UC Santa Barbara. She is the production designer. Dalia is incredibly excited to work on “Side of Squatch” and its fun design elements.

Nigel Suarez - Editor

Nigel is a 3rd-year transfer in Film and Media major at UCSB. He’s been editing for almost 10 years and has a passion for making films.

Kayla Arcilla - 1st Assistant Director

Kayla is a 3rd-year Film and Art double major. It’ll be her first film that she’s working on, and she’s so excited to be a part of this project and gain more experience.